Coal chute



D. P. IVIAHONEY.

COAL CHUTE.

PPLICATION FILED FEB. Z. 1922.

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D. P. MAHONEY.

GOAL CHUTE.

APPLICATloN FILED FEB. 24. 1922.

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UNTE@ maaar-r DANIEL E. MA'HONEY, v0F CAMBRIDGE,-MASSACHUSETTS.

coat CHUTE.

application iearebruary 24, i922. seriaino. 538,845.

Z0 ,all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, DANIEL P.V MAHQNEY, aciti/en` of the United .States of America, and resident of Cambridge, in the county lof Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and-useful Improvements in Coal Chutes, ot' which the-following is a specification. f

This invention concerns apparatus `for handling coal or other material having generally similar physical characteristics land relates morev particularly to lmeans useful in thepiling of such material for storage. In the production and transportation `of coal and similarmaterial itiscommon to store it temporarily in ,piles or pockets of large capacity, the material being'deposited in such piles or `pocketsby the use ot suitablel machinery. Ordinarily such machinery comprises elevating means adaptedv` to raise the material to a height at least equal ltothe maXimuin height of `the pile to be formed, or .to the ltop of the pocket, and commonly has associated therewith some means for distributing the elevated material horizontally and for dumping it at the desired point. In starting a new pile, or ,in commencing to till an empty bin or pocket it is obvious that with the above described apparatus the coal must fall through la considerable height, frequently as much as 35 or 4:0 feet before it istrikes theground or .the bottom of the pocket. As ordinary coal is relatively brittle, the result of this mode of handling it is that a large amountof coal is broken by the fall to which it issubjectedpeither through the directI impactof the coal with the ground or by contact with adjacent pieces of coal during the fall. As the value of coal varies very considerably with its size, it is evident that substantial loss maybe occasioned by this breakage; in fact in the commercial handling of certain kinds of coal, such loss, due to the breakingv and. pulverization of the coal in storing `the samemay amount to as much as 4 or 5%. It the coal be subjected to several handlings `during itscourselfrom the mine to the consumer, it is clear that the economic loss may thus become` very con# siderable. In the effort to obviate such loss dueto breakage, various means have vheretofore been devised with'the object ofvdecreasthe velocitylotthc coal in falling as, for example, yby causing it to descend over a flightot' stepsor shelves, but while theoreti- 55 cally beneficial in some instances, it has been `found in actual practice that but little advantage accrues rom the use of such devices, either vby reason ot' their failure suiiiciently to reduce the shock or abrasive action to lwhich the descending coal is subjected y,or on account .of the necessity of employingadditional workmen for the proper manipulation of suchdevices. i

4The object of the present invention is ac- 65 cordingly to provide means useful in connection with the handlingof coal or similar material, whereby the .coal may befed-to a pile or pocket from an elevated point without, substantial breakage from falling or abrasion and so constructed and arranged that the maximum permissible fall ot' the coal during` the building of the entire pile, or the filling of the bin, shall automatically be controlled so as never to exceed a predetermined amount.

. In the accompanying drawings, a device is illustrated which is eminently well adapted `for carrryingv the above object into eifect, such specific device being shown however, 8O merely for the ,purpose of exemplifying the various arrangements of parts whereby similar` and equivalent results may be obtained. i

Fig. l isa side elevation of a coal pocket oiI usual construction such as is Commonly employed at a dock side for unloading coal 'from barges, a portion of the side wall of the structure being broken away to show the installation of the device of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a. side elevation of a coal elevating device of that type employed for lifting coal vtrom a barge and for placing it in a storage pile, the device of the present in- 9.5 vention being shown as supplied thereto;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through an elevator structure of usual type such as is employed `for storing` coal and showing the device of the ypresent invention as applied thereto;

Fig. .4L is a fragmentary side elevation to largerv scale of a. chute constructed in accordance ywith the present invention; and

viouslymentio'ned. Between the plates 14,

skip or bucket 8 whereby coal may be lifted.

from a barge and delivered into the hopper 7. Within the bin 4 is arrangeda hopper 9 i' for receiving coal from the hopper 7, and associated with' such hopper 9/is'a' chute comprising the' successively linclined sections '10, 11, 12 suspended from the upper part of the structure by means of cables 13 or in other' convenient manner. The several sections of this chute are constructed substantially in accordance with the arrangement shown in Figs. 4 and 5. yEach chute section is shown as comprising spaced side plates 14,` 15 respectively, having elongate' angle irons 16, 17 extending along their upper and lower edges whereby s'uchplates are stiffened and properly supported. The upper angle irons are provided with suitable openings for thereception of rings 18 to which are secured the lower ends of lthejcables 13 by which the chute is suspended, as pre- 15 a series of yfloor or gate sections 19 are arranged, such floor or gate sections being provided with 'vertical side flanges 20, 21 respectively which lie in contact with the inner surfaces of the vrespective plates 14, l5. Substantially centrally of each of such floor or gate sections, a bracket 22 is provided, such brackets being secured to the under surfaces of the respective sections and providing journal means for rods or shafts 23 which extend through suitable openings in the side plates 14, 15 and which may be retained in position by means of cotter pins 24. Normally the several floor or gate sections are in substantial alignment, and for holding such sections in alignment, pins 25 "are provided, such pins passing through openings in the side plates and normally projecting beneath the floor or gate sections at points adjacent the lower ends thereof. The outer ends of the pins 25 are secured as indicated at 26 to lever arms 28 having at their yupper ends cross bars 29 which are pivotally. secured in brackets 30l attached to the outer surface of the plates 14 and 15. As herein shown,y the pins 25 with their levers and supporting brackets are disposed alternately upon opposite sides of the chute.

To insure the proper tipping of the floor or gate sections when the pins 25 are withdrawn from beneath the same, such floor or gate sections are preferably provided with weights such as 31 adjacent to their forward ends, and for preventing overthrow of the floor sections in tilting about their pivots, stop pins 32 are secured at proper points adjacent to the upper edges of the plates 14, 15, respectively. Secured to the lower end ofl each .of the levers 28 is aplate 33, such plates preferably being 'so' arranged as to incline outwardly from the plane of the adjacent side plate of the chute. The pins 25 may be considered to constitute latch members Yfor holding the several iioor sections in position, while the levers 28 with the plates 33 may be regarded as triggers whereby the latches are tripped for releasing the floor sections in successive order as will hereinafter be more fullydescribed In the device shown in/Fig. 2,'a pair'of spaced supports y40, 41 aire provided, such supports serving as foundations for the longitudinally extending parallel rails 42, 43. Mounted upon said rails is a bridge member 44 movable longitudinally thereof, such bridge member being provided with a yhousing 45 for the operating .mechanism and with a boom 46 for supporting a skip or bucket 47 whereby coal may be lifted from a barge and deposited in a hopper, such as 4.8. From` the hopper 48 extends a chute comprising the successive sections 49, 50, 51 suspended from the bridge member by cables 52. At 53 is indicated a coal pile of small dimensions, the parts being illustrated as they appear during the early stages of the piling operation.

In Fig. 3 the elevator structure 60y is shown as provided with a series of bins such as 61, 62, 63, and with an inclined endless conveyor 64 for raising coal or other material to the upper part of the elevator structure. A horizontal conveyor 65 is also provided whereby coal elevated to the top of the' structure may bedistributed into the several bins, a hopper 65 being lprovided for receiving the coal from the horizontal con veyor and for directing it into proper bin. Associated with this hopper is a chute comprising the successive inclined sections 67, 68, 69 respectively supported from the upper Dart of the elevator structure by cables 70.

n theseveral` structures illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 respectively, the chutes are all of the type shown in detail in Figs. 4 and At the beginning of the operation of filling a pocket or building a pile, the several floor sections 19 are in alignment as indicated at the upper right-hand part of Fig. 4, such sections resting upon the pins 25 which project beneath the same. As the coal is delivered into the chute, it passes i any substantial height is formed the freshly V delivered coal begins to slide or run down the outer surface of the pile, and as the incanta pile continues Ito Vgrow and rises above the level of the lowermost of the plates 33,such movement of the coal in sliding down the pile serves to swing the plate 33, with its supporting lever 28 outwardly and away from the chute. This immediately withdraws the pin 25 from beneath the lowermost floor or gate section whereupon the latter swings into the position shown at the lower left-hand side of Fig. 4f. This serves to shorten the chute and to permit the coal to escape from over the'edge of the next adjacent iioor or gate-section through the discharge oriiicethus provided between such edge and the vertically extending bottom wall of the next lower Hoor section, as indicated in broken lines in Fig. l at X. The pile continues to build up until the sliding material strikes the next plate 33, whereupon the pin controlled thereby is withdrawn and the next floor or gate section in turn is rendered inoperative. This operation continues as the pile grows, it being noted, however, that the maximum fall to which the coal is subjected corresponds to the vertical distance between the lower edges of successive floor sections, and that the movement of the coal during its travel through the chute is uninterrupted by falls and that it drops only upon its discharge therefrom. As the floor of the chute is substantially smooth and continuous, the coal is subjected to little abrasive action during its descent, and as the maximum fall may be determined within any desired limits, it is clear that the handling of the coal in this fashion serves very largely to eliminate breakage suc-h as commonly occurs in the handling of coal, and particularly during the early stages of the filling of a bin or the building of a pile. If desired, the hoppers 9. 48 and 66 as illustrated in Figs. l, 2 and 3 respectively may be provided with doors whereby after the building of the pile to any desired height, the coal may then be permitted to fall freely from the hopper on to the pile without passing through the chute. It is also clear that while herein the chute has been shown as comprising a series of successive sections, such an arrangement is not necessary, but that a single section might well be employed under many circumstances orthat the upper sections of the chute might well be of other construction if desired, sof long as the coal during the earlier stages of the operation yis prevented from falling through a substantial distance.

lhile as herein shown, the aggregate of the iioor orV gate sectionsv constitutes the entire floor of the chute, it is 'contemplated that under certain circumstances, fixed sections might well be interposed'between the movable sections, or that other arrangements of movable floor section or gate might be substituted for that lspecifically described herein.

While the improved chute as herein described has been disclosed as applied to certaintypes of coal handling apparatus, -it is to be understood that it is applicable to any type of apparatus and in any situation where lit is desired to handle coal or other material having similar physical characteristics without subjecting the `same to -in- 'urious -falls or abrasion. 'It is also to be understood that various Achanges and -rearrangements ofparts might well be substituted for those herein specicallydescribed whereby to secure the same results without departing `from the spirit of the presentinvention.

`What I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States is: I

A device for use in handling coal comg5 prising a substantially uninterrupted guideway, and means automatically `operable by coal discharged therefrom for terminatina the path of movement along said guideway of coal subsequently traveling therein.

2. ln combination with material elevating and dumping means, means for receiving the material from the dumping means and for automatically discharging such lmaterial atprogressively'more elevated points lin ac- 95 ycordance with -thegrowth ofthe mass of material previously discharged therefrom.

3. An inclined guidewag7 for delivering material from alsource of supply to a storage pile, and means automatically operative 3100 to determine the eective length of'said guideway in inverse ratio to the'height of the pile.

4. A device for use in the handling of coal comprising a guideway having apluwe :rality of normally closed gatemembers, and means whereby the opening of lsaid -ga'te members isautomatically vcontrolled by coal previously discharged fromsaid guidewa-y.

5. An inclined chute for deliveringinami@ terial to afpile thereof, saidchute havinga plurality of normally closed and 'aligned .gate sections, `and means automatically operative successively to open said gate sections beginning 'with the lowermost, in ac- M5 cordance withl the progressive inoreasein height of the pile.

6. A device for use in the'handlingof coal comprising a guideway having a series of normally closed discharge orifices, and automatically operable means for successively opening said orifices. i

7.- Acoal handling device comprising an inclined guideway comprising a series of movable floor sections, means normally holding said'sections in substantial valignment, and means whereby such sections'may automatically be caused to move in orderly `successionbeginning with the 'lowermost 8. A coal Ehandlingfdevice comprising a la@ guideway comprising a ,series of pivotally supported floor sections normally arranged in substantial alignment, and means operable by, engagement with `coal previously discharged lfor determining the tilting jof saidlffloor sections abouty their respective livollsu ,t v v 9An inclined chute having an open bottomyaseries ofgate members normally in alignment and.r constituting a floor therefor, latchk devices fornormally retaining said gate members in substantial-alignment,and means operable'by contact ywith material ypreviously discharged over the lower edge of one of said gate members for releasing the latch device associated with the next adjacent member.

10. A chute for delivering material into a pile comprising a plurality of successive, downwardly inclined sections extending respectively in different directions, eachy of saidsections having a plurality of normally closed gate members, and automatically operative means for progressively opening said gate members, beginning with the lowermost, in accordance with the growth of the pile of material.

11. An inclined chute having a substantially smooth and unobstructed bottom comprising a series of tiltable gate members, means normally retaining said gate members in substantial alignment, and a movable member depending from said chute and operable to release such gate holding means.

12. A chute for delivering material into a pile, said chute having discharge orifices, and trigger means, actuable by contact with the growing pile of material, for determining the passage of the material through the respective orifices.

13. An inclined chute comprising a series of normally aligned ioor sections, means normally retaining' said sections in alignment, and actuating arms projecting downwardly from theretaining means and operablein turn by material discharged from the chute whereby to permit tilting of the floor sections in orderly succession beginning with the lowermost.

14. An inclined chute having an opening in its bottom wall, a gate for controlling said opening, latch means for normally holdingy said gate in closed position, and a trigger member projecting rearwardly from .the chute and actuated by contact with material discharged from the chute to release said latch means.

15. An inclined chute comprising spaced 'side members, a series of ioor sections arranged between the side members, transverse sh-afts mounted on the side members and constituting pivotal supports for the several floor sections, movable stop pins normally engaging theseveral floor sections for holding them in substantial alignment, and a trigger lever connecte-d with each of said pins formoving itsfpin'youtof engagement with the respective yfloor section to permit the latter totilt -about its pivotal support. v

16. A.chutecomp rising a pair of paralle spaced side plates, auseries of shafts-extending from one to thefother-of the plates adjacent to the lower edges of thel latter, a ioor section pivotally mounted on each shaft, one end of each .floor-section being. heavier than the other, pins arrangedy to slide in openings vin the sideoplates and normally underlying ,theheavy ends ofthe floor sections to hold the latter in substantialalignment, levers pivoted-to the side plates, means connecting a lever to each pin, and a plate secured to thefree extremity of each lever for engagement by material discharged from the chute.

17. An inclined chuteJ comprising a pair of spaced,parallel side plates, a series of pivotally supported floor sections arranged between said pl'ateszand normally 4aligning with one another," flanges projecting upwardly from opposite edges of each floor section and contacting with the inner walls of the side plates respectively, a latch vmember normally 'engaging each Hoor section forlholding it in operative position, and atrigger lever connected. with each latch for actuation by moving material discharged from the chute. f f

`18. An inclined chute comprising a pair of parallel, vertical sidel plates, a series of shafts extending from one plate to the other, floor sections each having a bracketsecured to its under side, said brackets being pivotally supported upon the respective shafts, a v

weight secured to the lower end of each floor section for causing it to tilt about its pivotal axis. a movable latch pin associated with the weighted end of each floor section for normally holding the several sections in alignment with each other, pivotally supported trigger levers connected with the respective latch pins, and a plate secured to the free extremity of each trigger lever in position to be moved by contact with moving material discharged from the chute.

19. An inclined chute having spaced side plates and a floor comprising a series of normally aligned, movablesections,y each section being provided with a slidable latch pin arranged in an opening in a side plate and normally engaging its corresponding floor section, a lever pivoted at itsupper end to one ofthe side plates, means connecting said latch pin to the lever at a point midway the length of the latter, and a plate secured to the free extremity of the lever and extending below the bottom of the chute in posi- .tion to be moved by material newly discharged from the chute and sliding down the sides of the accumulated pile of such Inaterial.

20. An inclined chute having a floor comprising a series of relatively movable sections, latch devices normally engaging the respective sections for holding?y them in nor- .5 mal position, a trigger lever connected to each of such latch devices for moving the latter out of operative position, and a plate secured to the free extremity of each lever, said plates being inclined outwardly with respect to the vertical plane'of the axis of l0 the chute.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this eighteenth day of February, 1922.

DANlEL P. MAHONEY. 

